Woods "Storvik! Kill them!" The kingdom warlord calls while pointing towards the fighters filtering through fir trees on our left. "Ready pulse charge!" I shout, "Go!" We surge forwards and beat them back into the trees. The more eager fighters try to follow them. "Storvik! Back! Back! Reform!" They back up and turn into a line again. In moments we're ready to wheel right and form a shield wall facing the next threat. Send a lightly armored run team to fetch the flags to a safe place. Know your area of responsibility. Unless directed by kingdom warlord, you will do most of your fighting in one area of the woods. This is where you will return after each resurrection. When you get killed, go to res point, and drink some water. Then walk back to your area of responsibility. Rest there, within sight of the fighting. Then when you are ready, you don't have to waste energy on that long walk back to the lines. Even if you aren't ready jump back into the fray, your presence will cause the enemy to think there are more combatants waiting for them. It often makes sense to designate a traffic cop for these res battles. This is usually a regional warlord who stands within sight of the fighting and directs returning fighters to the areas of greatest need. He may also stop fighters and form them into columns to execute charges, clear flanks, or other special missions. Pay attention to the shifting pressure on the field based on changing troop numbers and composition. Never take land you cannot hold. It's not always advantageous to advance. If holding a line, hold it where the terrain is to your advantage. Consider slopes, trees, and brush when contemplating your position. Shields can repel/kill off threatening spears with a quick pulse charge, but return to your stable position. Watch for trees behind you. They will catch you when backing up. The second rank can hold branches out of the way when the first rank must back up. When traveling through branches/firs, use your weapon to keep them from your face. A tree can help defend you so long as you are behind or parallel to its trunk. Put your helm on at the 5 minute warning before that battle starts. The start timing can be somewhat irregular, and it's better to be a bit early than to still be standing there with your helmet in your hands when the cannon goes off. When you are deep into enemy territory, send a few eyes to watch for flankers. Midrealm often prefers to keep reserve units outside of the woods so they are fresh for the second half of the battle. They also prefer to fight near their res point so they don't have to walk as far. The East and Atlantia prefer to dominate the battlefield for the duration of the fight. Once we control a banner, the Midreal must recover a great deal of territory before they can recapture the flag. This also has a psychological impact which is as difficult to recover from as the territorial disadvantage. When you need to move the line forward, but you face stiff resistance, send a small column charge into the enemy. Your spears will be able to exploit the hole in the enemy ranks, and will relieve any pressure you are facing. Then call advance and move the troops forward. If you are close to taking a heavily defended objective, like a banner, send repeated column charges at 45 degree angles to the objective. The charge will scrape off a layer of defenders, isolate enemies between the column and your front line, and create voids into which you can move troops. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next The cannon booms. We march down the hill and across the field at a good clip. The Tuchux are on our right flank and off to our left I can see the bulk of the armies of the East and her allies. We've already covered 50 yards and the unit is loosening up. I watch the Chux swamp their first target. Our own front line has made contact and I have to step around dead bodies under foot. Our forward momentum grinds to a halt and I notice our troops scattering. I raise my pole arm and shout, "Storvik! Dunn Carraig!" I hear the rally call repeated by other voices. I never stop walking, and find myself once more surrounded by the familiar red and white, and blue and white of the two groups. We start moving again as a unit, and none too soon as a new enemy formation appears on our left. Do not stop moving or you will be hit in the flank. It's easier to turn a unit to the left, due to the numbers of right handed shieldmen. Walk over/around bodies on the ground, or step on the center of shield. Whatever you do, don't stop. There is a natural tendency to move towards the nearest visible threat. Ignore those bad guys on your flank. They should be cleared/suppressed by designated troops/individuals. There is a tendency to stop just short of weapons range. Shieldmen must be trained to cross that danger zone and press the attack. The field often becomes a slow swirl to the left, sometimes called the tidy-bowl of death. The further and faster troops move, the harder it is to keep close order. Learn to rally and reform the unit on the fly. The unit will fracture on first contact with the enemy. The unit that rallies first wins. Unit cohesion is the name of the game in large scale melees. Leg'em and leave'em. Unless you are moving at a crawl, you will outdistance almost any legged fighter. They are as good as out of the battle. You can comeback later and clean them out if you have to. Don't run off because you see another unit do the same. Wait for commands from your kingdom/regional warlord. Reinforce this with your own troops be reminding them to stand where they are, or continue in whatever direction. Avoid action with units larger than yours, and aggressively pursue smaller units. But don't allow a small unit to tie you up and distract you from your primary objective. Pick up stragglers to strengthen your unit. If a friendly unit is engaged, hit their enemy in the flank, even if the enemy is larger than your unit. Bridge I look down and notice I'm standing at the halfway point on the bridge. In front of me the Kingdom Warlord and His highness prowl the gap between the front line and the main body of our troops. They gather another team of three shieldmen who charge into the enemy spears and clear them off the bridge. We move forward again. After the cycle repeats a few more times, I notice were almost to the end of the bridge, and the enemy has formed a killing cup, but they are spread pretty thin. Our allies on the bridge to our right break out and overrun the enemy archers, but they don't look like they have enough to hold their bridgehead. I shout, "make ready!" But I no longer see our warlord or his highness. Frantically looking around I ask if there is any command element left at the front of the unit. I don't hear a reply, but the deputy warlord for the North catches my eye and gives me the signal. Again I shout, "make ready! Charge!" Send a quick, hard-hitting unit onto the bridge first to secure as much turf as possible. Surprisingly one of the worst self inflicted problems is overcrowding. Everyone wants to surge to the front line. This just chokes everyone up to the point where they cannot do anything. Leave a 6-9 foot gap between the front line and the next rank. This will give the combatants room to maneuver. Try to leave a path up one side of the bridge. Exhausted spears can be sent back, and fresh shieldmen be sent forward. Face spears with shieldmen and shieldmen with spears. If the enemy makes their front rank all shieldmen, then let your spears advance a pace and take them out. If the enemy send spears out front, send a 3-shieldman pulse charge to clear them out. You can always trade men for land with a full charge. The question is learning when it's worth while. The bridge is a battle of resource management. You want to expend your men for the highest value return. All of the time, paying attention to the clock. When charging large war-boards planted on the ground, don't stop. Just place your foot on top of the shield, step up and over. The first ones over will surely be killed, but they create the space for the next rank to exploit. If you take spear to the front line, you must be firing thrusts constantly. If not, back out and let someone else have a chance. There's no point in standing on the front line till you die. Even tired shieldmen can be swapped out for fresh. If you are pushed back to the end of your bridge, build a killing cup. This allows you to point more spears at the enemy. If you push your enemy back, and they form a cup, don't enter the cup unless you are ready to break through it. If you completely clear your bridge and break out onto the enemy's side, don't stand there and cheer. Quickly attack the back of another bridge. Bridges rarely hold when attacked from both sides at once. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next Castle As a reserve unit defending the castle, we aren't much more than spectators for the first half of the battle. Our job at this point is to stay out of the way. We stand on the hillside watching enemy troop movements. They haven't moved any of their siege engines forward, and their archers are concentrating on the castle gateways. So we're in no danger where we stand. They charge repeatedly into our killing cup, getting cut down each time. But each time we loose a few defenders we cannot afford. The attackers get unlimited resurrections, so we know it's only a matter of time. The question is how much time? A thin spot starts to form in our cup. "Storvik," Llewellen shouts, "we need you to slide around to the left flank of the cup to thicken the line." We move into position and look out through the gateway as one more Midrealm column prepares to charge directly into our teeth. When within range of archers, keep the shields up. When a high arcing arrow approaches, shout, "Arrow!" so that combatants my block it. When a high arcing siege missile approaches, shout, "Incoming left! (or right)" so that combatants my do the "don't hit me dance". Siege missiles kill even when blocked or knocked down by weapons and shields. Remind combatants to avoid them. Direct fire siege engines can be pointed through a doorway to kill charge columns or killing cups. Three or more engines fired in sequence will momentarily disrupt the targeted unit. When attacking a castle gateway, there are two distinct battles to be fought. Before penetration you are fighting a bridge battle. After penetration, you are fighting a field battle. All of the usual tactics apply. When charging a killing cup, direct all of your fighters at a single point. Do not let them spread out until they have broken through. If you are attacking and have resurrections, don't hesitate to trade men for the opportunity to break through the killing cup. Make sure polearms have shieldmen who can protect them from archery fire. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next Drill Fighter practice has finally reached critical mass. Some are still out of armor, but that doesn't matter for drill. "Storvik! Form up on me!" I shout. Some rush to form a line, while others amble over. Once everyone is present, I'm pleased to notice that they've dressed the line fairly well, and the Dunn Carraig fighters at our practice have joined the line too. "William, you're the driver. Everyone take your pace from him," I call. "Finn," I say as I take him off to the side, "march them straight at that tree, then wheel around the next tree. When they get to the side walk, stop them, then make them back up a few feet. You'll probably have to keep shouting 'back, back, back', the whole time. Then double time it back here. That should be plenty for one day." "Got it," Finn replies. "Storvik! Advance," he shouts, and they start off towards the first obstacle. It does not take a great deal of marching drill to prepare troops for complex field maneuvers. Just 5 minutes at each fighter practice for a month or two is all it takes. Try not to teach more than one or two concepts per night. The commands I use on the field are minimal: form up, advance, wheel left (or right), slide/shift left (or right), stop, back up, and charge. Anything not covered by basic commands is executed by saying, "Get ready to blah. Go!" Make sure any marching drills include obstacles. There will be obstacles on the field, so if they see them in practice, they won't be confused by them in battle. Obstacles don't need to be much more than a tree or a couple of shields on the ground. Get into the habit of repeating any command given and train others to do the same. Since voices only travel a short distance in battle, the only way to ensure that everyone hears is to repeat the command. Have the pole arms take turns giving commands. On the field, they my be required to act as an officer. Change up the order of troops at practice, so everyone gets used to being in each position. Practice punching through shield walls with helmets on. Work through a charge in slow motion first. Point yourself and the leading corner of your shield where two enemy shields meet. Lower your center of gravity, and bend your knees. Push through. Once the basic motions are good, start adding complexity. Teach the defenders how to stop a charge with the one-step counter. Lower your weight. Take one step forward with your lead foot, and aim your shield at the center of your opponent's shield. Push them up and back. Now add a second man to the charge who presses into the shoulder blades of the first charger at the point of contact to help him push through. Now add a polearm to the defenders to press into their shoulder blades at the point of contact to keep them from being thrown back. Keep your melee scenarios asymmetric. On the battlefield rarely do both sides have the same objective. Each team should not know the other's objective. Give all the pole weapons to one side. Give one side a king (with a pole weapon) they must defend, while the other side has the goal of killing all pole weapons. One side tries to delay (while waiting for reinforcements) while the other side tries to punch through and kill the archers (or some other inanimate target) in the backfield. Give one side a larger force, but an immobile object they must defend, while the smaller force can roam at will. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next Concerning Food There's a local hold on our bridge for a medical emergency. It looks like it'll take a while, but with fighting continuing on the other bridges, water bearers aren't allowed onto the field. I drop my spear at the edge of the bridge and march off to find water. At the edge of the field I find a young lady with two jugs who is watching the hold. I politely ask if I can take her water jugs, and walk back to my bridge, water in hand. Once there I pass one jug to the guys on our side of the bridge, and hand off the other to an enemy with gauntlets. Soon the jugs are empty and the injured fighter hobbles off the field with an arm draped around a chirurgeon. The marshals shout, "Rise if you are able!" Don't eat eggs or greasy food shortly before fighting, unless you want to clean your breakfast off of the inside of your helmet. If you eat 2 - 3 hours before the scheduled start time of a battle, you can eat just about anything, but I'll still avoid eggs and grease. The rule of thumb from the world of endurance sports is you must drink during any activity that last more than 30 minutes and eat during any activity that last more than an hour. I start the clock from the moment I put my armor on. Carbohydrates are good. Oatmeal, Powerbars (etc.), potatoes, bread, gatorade (etc.), carbohydrate gel. Gels are great and come in a variety of flavors and consistencies. They come in handy single serving envelopes that fit in your belt pouch. They feel like nothing in your stomach, and some add electrolytes, etc. Some brands are Power Gel, GU, Carboom, Crank, and Hammer Gel. You can find them in running stores and outdoor outfitters. Salt is good. Pretzels, Gatorade (etc.), jerky, nuts. Potassium is good. Bananas, Gatorade (etc.). Fruit is good. Orange wedges, bananas, melon (cantaloup, watermelon, honeydew, etc.). Protein is questionable. I've heard both good and bad. I eat jerky and cheese. I stay away from beef stick, pepperoni, and sausage, but I think that's more about grease than protein. Pickles are awesome. I'm not a big pickle person, but after a fight, nothing is quite as sweet as pickles. I assume it has to do with salt, but I'm not sure yet. Avoid simple sugars. Candy bars, coolaide, etc. They cause a short energy rush followed by a crash. Water is necessary. Drink lots of fluids. I have heard that full strength gatorade is actually a diuretic (it makes you pee, and therefore lose more water than you drink), but half strength is beneficial because of the replacement salts and carbohydrates. Avoid caffeine which is another diuretic, not to mention the high followed by a crash. Alcohol is even worse. Just because water bearers aren't allowed on the field during a battle doesn't mean that you can't water your troops during a battle. If you are fully armored and wearing gauntlets, then you can carry a water jug with straw onto the field during short holds, or during static battles like bridges or castles. Just pay attention to when you need to drop the jug and pick up your pole arm. Gatorade is not the only sports drink. Each brand has a slightly different balance of water, carbs, and electrolytes. Some other brands are Cytomax, Endurox, and Poweraide. You can find them at running stores, cycling stores, and outdoor outfitters. If you just want water and electrolytes without any carbs, try Smart Water, Vitamin Water, or E-caps. What you drink the night before will affect your performance on the field. If you start hydrating the night before a battle you will do much better than someone who has been out drinking beer all night. Keep chugging water until your pee turns clear. Eating after fighting is important too. Endurance athletes talk about the "glycogen window" which is 20 minutes following an athletic activity. If you eat during that window, you'll recover faster, and be more ready for the following day. If you wait, you'll feel sluggish and drowsy the rest of the day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next Armor "Five minutes!" The marshal shouts. I drop my armor bag on the ground. I'm late and I know it. "Graham, here's my membership and authorization card. Go to the MOL table and write in my information so I just need to sign it. Thanks." Sometimes it's really good to have a page. I shake my gear out of my bag and start strapping it on. By the time he gets back from the MOL, I'm almost ready for inspection. "My lord marshal, can you check my gear?" After he gives me the OK, I sprint over to the MOL, then out to my unit on the field just as the marshals call, "Make ready! Take your guard! Lay on!" If it take longer than 7 minutes for you to put on your armor unassisted, then it's not strapped right. Why waste half an hour strapping on gear when you could sleep in for an extra 20 minutes instead? Place buckles and ties where you can easily reach them. If you put on armor that has been collecting dust in the closet for a year, you can expect many things to fail all at once. If you've been wearing it to practice every week and repairing it as you go, things tend to fail one at a time. I find this to be much more manageable. Put together a repair kit. The minimal kit contains duct tape. Everything else is optional, but I'd suggest a hammer, anvil, rivets, leather punch, end nippers, screw driver, and wrench as an emergency kit. You can also take a look at what I keep in the PCAS field kit. Melee gear is medieval sports equipment. You'll be running on the field. You don't need steel legs, arms and body armor to weigh you down. Stick with leather and plastic as much as possible. You can still look pretty, but do the pretty stuff with fabric, not metal. Consider an open faced helmet like a sallet or bascinet. It's hard enough to get enough air on the battlefield without trying to suck it through tiny perforations in a closed face helm. You'll also appreciate the ability to see what is going on around you. At multi-day events like Pennsic, allow your gear to dry out before stuffing it back into it's bag or box. Keep your armor bag off the ground and out of the rain/dew. A pallet and a tarp is all you need to keep it from turning green and fuzzy. Even stainless steel rusts if left in a puddle. Take care of your equipment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next Injuries Sorry, I won't head up this section with a bit of prose from my past. I see no need to glorify the problems we run into on the field. I've seen broken arms and noses, cut chins and foreheads, sprained ankles and blown knees. This is a full contact sport martial art. Do your best to prevent injuries. When they happen give them the time to heal, and you'll be able to keep fighting for many years to come. At any given time you should expect up to one third of your troops to be unavailable do to injuries, sickness, etc. Do not be surprised, just take it into account when you are planning. If injured, sit down and take off your helmet. If it is a timed battle your presence on the field at the end is more important than your presence at this moment. Drink some water. Take 5 or 10 minutes to evaluate your status. Drink some more water. If you are unsure, but think you could still fight, stay out for the rest of the battle (I know it sucks, but you'll get to play more if you do it this way). Drink some more water, and cheer on your shield brothers. When the next battle is ready to start, re-evaluate your status. If you are unsure, but think you could still fight, stay out of it for the rest of the day. Remember, this is a sport you can play for the rest of your life if you're don't do anything stupid. It's better to sit out an hour, a day, a war, than to end up in the hospital because you wanted to keep playing when your body gave you hints that you should stop. "A sucking chest wound is nature's way of telling you it is time to slow down." Don't let your buddies fight after they are already injured. There's no need to turn something that's mild into something that's permanently damaged. When one of your fighters is injured, stay with him until the chirurgeons are done with him. If you can help with his armor, the chirurgeons may not feel the need to cut it off him. He may need transport to a hospital. He may simply need your moral support. Chirurgeons are not permitted to proscribe anything. That doesn't mean that they don't have ice, ibuprofen, aspirin, or other over-the counter medications. What it does mean is that if you are in a situation where you would normally go into your own medicine cabinet and get an Advil, then maybe you should consider asking a chirurgeon if they have one. Take a basic first aide course from the red cross or other reputable organization. There are many things you can do to alleviate small problems before they become big problems. You might also look into "Anybody's Sports Medicine Book: The Complete Guide to Quick Recovery from Injuries" by James Garrick, and Peter Radetsky. If you have asthma, carry an emergency inhaler on you at all times. If you are at the middle of a woods battle on a hot, muggy day and you get into trouble, you cannot expect the chirurgeons to have what you need. They do not proscribe medications. If you are seriously allergic to bee stings or other things which could send you into anaphylactic shock, carry an ana kit on your person at all times. If you are in a woods battle and kick over a log containing a wasp nest, you cannot expect the chirurgeons to have an ana kit. They do not proscribe medications. If you are diabetic, carry some emergency calories (hard candy, glucose gel, or whatever you keep in your glove compartment for emergencies) on you at all times. If you go into diabetic shock in the middle of a woods battle, you cannot expect the chirurgeons to recognize what you need, let alone be carrying it. They do not proscribe medications. If you need to carry medications with you into battle, I have seen two methods that work well. Carry them in a pouch that stays close to your belt, or strap (and labile) them to the inside of your shield with a bit of leather. Make sure your buddies also know what you are carrying and why, so they can be of help when you get into trouble. Bruises we receive in plenty. I have found three things that appear to help them heal faster. Ice when applied the same day. Arnica based sports cream/ointment when used as directed. And over the counter anti-inflamatories when used as directed. You should ask your doctor about them before trying it yourself. If you can't walk on it/can't move it without pain, then you should probably be talking to a chirurgeon instead of reading this. Concussion, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and dehydration are all serious conditions which occur on the battlefield. They all require immediate attention from a chirurgeon and often a medical professional. The person suffering from them will usually be unaware that there is a problem, so you must help him/her. They also have a number of symptoms in common, so it's best to simply call chirurgeon. If you want further information, you can easily look it up online or in any first aide book. Danger signs requiring immediate medical attention: Headache Dizziness Confusion Tinnitus Nausea Vomiting Vision changes Memory disturbances Poor concentration Irritability Sleep disturbances Personality changes Rapid Breathing Ceased sweating Rapid pulse, gradually weakening Irrational or aggressive behavior Staggering gait, fatigue Collapse and seizures -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next Glossary Bridge battle: From one to five parallel bridges are marked out on the ground with hay bales. The object is to control %51 of the majority of bridges at the end of the allotted time or last man standing. Usually you die if you fall over the side of a bridge and usually there are no resurrections. Broken field battle: A field battle with obstacles. They may be hay bales, or natural formations like brush, boulders, etc. The object is usually to control the majority of the immobile flags at the end of the allotted time. These are usually resurrection battles dominated by semi-static shield walls. Castle battle: Some kind of physical wall or walls with gates or breaches allowing entry. These are mostly found at larger events like Pennsic and Gulf Wars. The defender should have a tactical advantage although this may be offset by grating the attackers resurrections or overwhelming missile and siege engine resources. Missile weapons and siege engines can have their greatest impact in a castle battle. The object is usually to take the castle in the shortest time. Cup: See killing cup. Column charge: Shieldmen are lined up in column from one man to six men wide. The column slowly accelerates until it hits and penetrates its target. It's goal is penetrate shieldwalls, and disrupt units so that spears and poles may rapidly kill them. Counter charge: A unit may be trained to respond to being charged by counter charging. Take a step, drop your weight, place your shield on an enemy's shield and push up. Turn their forward momentum into vertical momentum and you will blunt the oncoming charge. Field battle: A large empty field is fought over to the last man. Flank: The vulnerable sides of a unit. Some people also include the back of a unit when they speak of flanks. Flanker: Individuals or skirmishers sent to attack the flanks of a unit. Hadrian's wall battle: A wall is marked out with hay bales. It will include one or more gates or breaches though which fighters may pass. There may be sections of wall which combatants may fight over, but may not cross. the object is to control the gates/breaches at the end of the allotted time. It may be a resurrection battle. Killing cup, killing pocket: Defensive fighters form a "U" shape with the open end pointing towards the enemy across a limited front. It is used to defend gates, breaches, and the ends of bridges. The idea is to bring more firepower to bear on any attackers attempting to penetrate the cup. Loose formation: Used for highly mobile troops. Combatants are no closer than arms length from each other while moving. They should tighten up at the point of impact with the enemy. Mountain pass battle: Large portions of the field are designated as impassable mountains with hay bales. There will be several large gaps through which combatants may move and fight. The object is usually to control the majority of the flags at the end of the allotted time. These are usually resurrection battles. Pulse charge: A short charge where their fighters quickly return to their original positions. The object is to kill/disperse/scare off a threat. For example pulse charges may be used to clear flankers in a field battle, or spearmen from a bridge. Resurrection battle: A battle in which you may return to the field after you have been killed. Usually you must first go to the edge of the field and touch a banner, hay bale, or similar marker. Semi-static shield wall: A shield wall where your neighbor may be as much as an elbow length away. This leaves extra room for spears and pole arms to maneuver. These shield walls remain standing so they may move forwards or back in response to changing pressures. Shield wall: Shieldmen stand or kneel close together so that the edge of your shield overlaps the edge of your neighbor's. This is a very stable and strong position, though is completely inflexible. Skirmisher: Loose formation troops who's goal is to harass enemy formations without getting entangled in a static engagement. Skirmishers are only effective where they have room to maneuver. Tight formation: Heavy infantry who are no further apart than elbow distance from their neighbor. They carry a great deal of momentum when charging over short distances, and are quite resistant to penetration. They are easily broken up by terrain, complex field maneuvers, and simply moving great distances. Town battle: A town of several hay bale huts is surrounded by a hay bale wall. The wall usually has two or four gates through which the opposing armies enter. Each hut has one or two doors. The object is to control the majority of the huts in the allotted time or last man standing. Warlord: Common SCA term for the commanding officer of a unit or army. It is common to have a Kingdom Warlord, regional deputies, and local warlords. Woods Battle: Three banners are placed in a wooded area. The object is to control the majority of the banners at the end of the allotted time. The rules often allow for a limited amount of banner movement. This is usually a resurrection battle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Wolf Pack Index Way of the Warrior Next